Toma took taxpayer-funded Romania trip to scout trade office

• The state House paid for about $32,000 in airfare, hotels, food and other expenses for the speaker and his staff, House travel and reimbursement records show. 
• The House did not pay for Mihai Toma's travels, per records. 

Zoom in: During the Oct. 4-14 trip, the speaker and his staff met with businesspeople, government officials, diplomats and others in several cities throughout Romania.

• An itinerary provided by the Arizona House shows meetings with officials from Iulius Co., a developer and operator of mixed-use urban regeneration projects; Amazon and Cognizant, which have partnered on AI and cloud computing technology; Banca Transilvania; Exim Banca Românească; and the American Chamber of Commerce in Romania. 
• They also met with the U.S. and Romanian ambassadors, Romania's economic and energy ministers, a regional development agency, and university leaders. 
• The group flew home from Budapest, Hungary, which was closer to the region of Romania where they were at the end of the trip than the Romanian capital, Bucharest.

Catch up quick: Ben Toma was born in Romania in 1978, and emigrated to the U.S. when he was 9 years old. 

What he's saying: The speaker, a Glendale Republican, told Axios there have been internal House discussions over the past few years about opening a trade office in Eastern Europe, and he said Romania would be an ideal location.

• Romania is a major purchaser of defense products manufactured in Arizona, he said. He also noted that the country borders Ukraine, which will need foreign investment to rebuild once its war with Russia ends, "and it will be great for us to be on the ground floor."
• The speaker said he planned the trip on short notice after learning that Romania had hit a key condition to qualify for the federal Visa Waiver Program, which the U.S. State Department has since certified. 

The intrigue: He said the opportunity arose because of his background and connections in Romania. 

• "There was an opportunity that I became aware of because I happen to be from there. And I think at the end of the day, it's either going to make sense or it won't. But, given what's going on geopolitically, I think it quite clearly does make sense," he said. 
• He said he did not visit with family or engage in any other personal business while overseas.
• Part of the trip was in his birthplace of Cluj-Napoca, which he said they visited because it's a major tech hub and economic center.

Between the lines: Mihai Toma, president and CEO of Peoria-based Black Mountain Investment Co., told Axios that he asked to "tag along" and that he paid his own way. 

• He said he was interested in business opportunities and connections and met with a number of businesspeople but did not enter into any deals while there. 
• Though he didn't have an official role, Mihai Toma also attended some of the official meetings, saying, "I did want to help out with the Arizona trade office. And I think I was able to provide [the House delegation] with a business perspective."

Reality check: It would likely require legislative action to establish an Arizona trade office in Romania. 

• The Legislature and Gov. Katie Hobbs included $2 million in the fiscal year 2024 budget for the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) to establish overseas trade offices. 
• The ACA reported to the Legislature in December 2023 that it planned to use the funding to open trade offices in Brazil, India and the United Kingdom. 
• That funding wasn't continued in the fiscal year 2025 budget, and the plans for those trade offices are on hold, ACA spokesperson Patrick Ptak told Axios. The ACA didn't include the restoration of that funding in its budget request for the next fiscal year. 

Yes, but: If the Legislature restores the funding, Ptak said, the ACA will likely look to open trade offices in the three countries it already selected rather than other locations. 

• The ACA already has trade offices in Canada, Germany, Israel, Mexico, South Korea and Taiwan, which aim to facilitate international trade and investment. 
• Ptak said that there would be value in an Eastern European trade office and that there are ascendant industries in Romania, "but it's a bit of a moot point outside of the budget question." 

What's next: The speaker exits office in January and won't have any direct influence on whether Arizona establishes a trade office in Romania.

• He said he spoke briefly with incoming Speaker Steve Montenegro, R-Goodyear. 
• Toma also noted his staffers who accompanied him — House Republican chief of staff Michael Hunter, general counsel Linley Wilson and senior policy adviser Linsey Goodwin — will likely still be there after he's gone.